They say that São Paulo has about 5.000 pizzeria's, but we rarely eat pizza out. We prefer to make our own! Homemade pizzas are simple and tasty, and above all, it's a lot of fun when you invite friends over to make (and eat!) them together. This recipe is from Maria, an old mama in Calabria, the south of Italy. A couple of years ago I spend some days with her, and she shared all her kitchen secrets with me. It was the best holiday ever. The most important thing Maria taught me: less is more. La mama prepares her meals on the principles of cucina povera, the kitchen of the poor. Back in the days, people in southern Italy cooked with whatever they found in their garden, farm and fields. Stuff like tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes and herbs. So, when it comes to topping a pizza, keep it simple. For most pizzas, tomatoes are used as a base, mozzarella is almost essential. Besides these two ingredients you can add olives, anchovies, cooked potatoes, ham or salami. Whatever you find in the fridge. Serve your homemade slice with a green salad and a nice glass of Italian wine. Buon appetito!

Recipe

Ingredients

1 kilo of flour type 00 (You can take out one cup of flower and substitute it with semolina flour.

10 grams of dried yeast.

1 tablespoon of seasalt.

1 tablespoon of sugar.

650 ml of lukewarm water.

Preparation

1. Mix the flour, salt and make a little well in the centre. Pour the lukewarm water, yeast and sugar in the well and mix a little bit. Leave for 15 minutes.

2. Mix the rest of the flour, slowly bringing in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water.

3. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until it's smooth and soft.

4. Divide the dough into some balls and cover them with plastic. Let them rest until they double in size.